Grace Ashiru
Moroccan startup Woliz has raised $2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round, led by Sanlam Maroc, the Moroccan arm of the financial services giant Sanlam Group. The company has developed an AI-powered platform that connects small merchants directly with suppliers and financial institutions. This technology provides small shop owners with digital capabilities similar to those of large supermarkets, such as ordering stock via an app, automatically tracking sales, and proving their income to banks for loan access.
Woliz plans to use the funds to expand its team and accelerate the onboarding of merchants across various Moroccan cities. Founder and CEO Kamal El Hardouzi intends to scale this model to other African countries facing similar infrastructure challenges, although he has not yet confirmed a specific timeline or the markets for expansion.
Sanlam Maroc, the local insurance branch of Africa’s largest non-banking financial services group, sees the small independent retail sector as a massive, largely uninsured market that traditional agents find difficult to reach.
Morocco has become a growing hub for fintech startups. In October 2025, Chari raised $12 million in Series A funding to transform its B2B marketplace into a fintech super app for small retailers across North Africa. Chari is shifting its focus from distribution to offering loans, money transfers, and bill payments directly to shopkeepers. As a result, Chari and Woliz will be in direct competition, marking a new phase in the modernization and digitalization of traditional trade in the region.
